


Kintsugi

by GuyOfShy



Series: Scatterings of White Roses and Sightings of Bumblebees [7]
Category: RWBY
Genre: A little practice thing, An ostracized Blake, Awkward Conversations, Bumblebee/by - Freeform, F/F, Indecision, Self-Doubt, difficult conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-04-05 16:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4187361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuyOfShy/pseuds/GuyOfShy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yang saves a stray from the streets and from solitude on the way back to her apartment, hoping to lend her a helping hand.</p><p>But all it takes is one simple act of kindness, and suddenly someone becomes your world. Neither of you means for it to happen that way. Neither of you means to think another thought about it or to lose sleep over it.</p><p>Neither of you means for the other to mean so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kintsugi

"Thanks for the discount mister!" Yang called to the shopkeeper, a feeble but clearly venerable old man with grayed hair who waved back to her as she left the store.

"Perks of being a loyal customer," Yang happily muttered to herself, thinking dreamily of the three Ener-Schnee drinks stuffed in the bottom of the bag she was carrying.

There weren't many people out on the streets. The dusky sun was late into its slow decline, and its orange hue pooled with the street lamps as Yang tread jauntily under their light. Walking down a few blocks and turning a few corners on the way to her apartment, she thought about what she was going to cook up for Ruby tonight. The groceries she had picked up weren't exactly dinner items: a little bit of coffee, strawberries, tuna, and extra cookies as usual. Mostly assorted luxuries for Ruby, really. While getting by certainly was doable, it certainly wasn't the easiest thing for Yang to accomplish with her part-time job, especially when she indulged herself and her sister from time to time as she was now.

Though, with a few smart-spending and habit-breaking lessons from Ruby's seemingly all-knowing girlfriend, Weiss, Yang had managed to conserve a few extra bills with every paycheck.

But she could still hear the metallic clinking of the energy drinks rattling against each other in her arms. That was one habit Weiss had no hope of breaking. And besides, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Smirking delightfully to herself Yang turned another corner, and immediately she could sense something terribly wrong. A forebodingly heavy sort of atmosphere kicked her instincts into high gear and silently invited her to take a different route.

Retreat was not in Yang's vocabulary, however, and so she walked on into the thick of it with short cautionary steps, and not too far away in front of her she caught sight of the most unsightly obstruction on these homely streets she had ever run into. Her steps slowed down to mere shuffling when she saw the small gathering of four people on the corner, but upon hearing the utterly distraught and tormented cries of the girl in the center broke into a full sprint, dropping her bag to freely wield her fists.

Hearing her pounding feet rocking across the pavement, the three paused the beating of their victim to respond to the furious woman barreling towards them. The tall but lanky, orange-haired smirking delinquent in the middle threw a punch as she approached but Yang deftly dodged out of the way, delivering a punch of her own to his jaw with several times more ferocity behind it. He spiraled onto the pavement along with a few teeth, knocked out in just one hit, even to Yang's surprise.

She passed the quickest of glances to the trembling girl on the ground to see if she needed more immediate attention. She had long black hair, a few scattered spots of blood on her bruised cheeks, and was holding her hands over her head with her body defensively curled up. Yang knew that there were tears on the girl's cheeks as well, hearing her frantic sobbing.

Deciding she could wait a few moments longer, Yang menacingly turned to the bulkier man on the left. He lurched forward to punch her which she nimbly countered by ducking to the left and slamming her fist into his gut.

He didn't go down as easily as the first one like Yang had expected received a direct and heavy blow on her head as punishment. Scurrying back, she very impatiently waited for him to make his next move.

Yang glanced again at the girl. Her sniffling had slowed down, and she seemed a bit more calm. She was watching Yang closely and contritely with sharp yellow eyes, uncertain of who she was or what exactly she was doing.

Yang offered her the most reassuring smile she could manage in her current situation, which the bullying brute in front of her took as a provocation. He abruptly charged full bore at her, shocking her with his speed. Yang barely managed to sidestep his assault and wrapped her arms around him, summoning forth all the strength she could to drive him into the brick wall of the shop behind them. Stumbling away, she found herself grateful that she had been working out so much when he didn't get back up.

She turned with a heavy exhale to the last cronie, a shorter and now much more afraid-looking girl, who promptly took off in the opposite direction with her fists clenched in frustration.

Breathing out a gracious sigh of relief, Yang made a quick dash to the girl on the ground and kneeled down next to her, reaching her hand out.

Through wild breaths she asked, "Hey, are you alri-Ow!"

The girl slapped her hand away and hastily backed up against a wall, tucking her knees against her chest and doggedly wiping more tears away with her arms.

Yang held up her hands to show that she was approaching peacefully. The girl said nothing, and only eyed her very cautiously with her hands still firmly cupping the top of her head. She must have been injured there with how protective of it she was being, and must have been afraid of Yang doing the same.

Yang tried to reach out her hand again but the girl readied her own in response. It was then that Yang caught a glimpse of why she was shielding her head so intently, why she was crying, and why she had just been beaten up so inhumanly.

Yang lightly gasped when she saw the little furry ear springing from the beauty's black hair.

"You're a-"

"Don't say it!" She shouted, collapsing into another fit of sobs. The girl owned a shrouded and solid voice, and hearing it crumbling caused Yang to back away in alarm.

"No, I... Ugh," Yang groaned, turning her head all around for the right thing to say. ' _Is there a right thing to say here? C'mon Yang, think..._ '

"How can I help?" She finally asked the Faunus.

The girl didn't respond at first. Choking back a sob, she mumbled, "You can't..."

"I can at least try," Yang reasoned.

The girl's voice further fell into a miserable whisper. "You can't! Along with my bow, they also stole my dignity..."

Hearing that made Yang beyond angry, but she needed to focus on helping this girl the best she could. "Well, what'd it look like? What color was it?"

"It doesn't matter..." She mournfully muttered, further lowering her head.

"Please?" Yang gently asked.

The girl hesitated rebuking her with a callous remark. She knew that she was just trying to help, but it just hurt so much to know that she couldn't. The bow was gone.

But she could feel some kind of breakdown coming again, like a bitter and numbed wave surging over her and she couldn't help but go under with it.

"I... It was just a-a, little, black, bow."

"No patterns or anything?"

"That's all. I've had it all my life, and now, gone, like everything else..."

Hearing this, Yang's blood boiled to a dangerous degree. Looking at this girl, this beautiful, clearly innocent girl, she couldn't begin to think of why she deserved to be beaten, bloodied, and crying, why she was forced to cower with her hands shielding her head, JUST because she was a Faunus. She couldn't begin to comprehend how anybody could look at her, and feel the urge to hurt her. Yang looked at her, and while she was admittedly very pretty, she brought a smile to her face! She couldn't begin to comprehend how anybody could want to harm her, how anybody could be such an insensitive, inconsiderate, inhuman...

She took a deep breath. This was NOT the time to be losing her cool.

The girl watched her stand up and walk to the two guys she had roughed up, apparently searching their palms and their pockets for something.

Finding nothing, she kneeled there for a moment, then her head suddenly snapped up and she dashed away and down the street without a word.

The girl stared helplessly as the blonde ran on, looked around for another moment, then disappeared behind a corner. And that was it. Before she could stop her she was alone again, even more so than before.

Embraced by a solitary silence, she hid her face further in her knees, feeling her sobs returning. She felt taunted by the hot shame and cold bruises running chills through her beaten body. She felt haunted by the viscous blood and sorrowful tears running down her cheeks. The sun had disappeared fully by now, taking even her shadow away from her.

She felt and heard the rumbling of footsteps on the sidewalk. She hopelessly glanced up, and to her pure joy saw the familiar blonde curls and soothing lavender eyes making a beeline down the street. Then, to her total despair, she blew right past her and down the corner.

She stared at where the warm ray of hope had been at the bend of the sidewalk, then felt her tears pulling her down yet again, returning in more force than ever. She was powerless to stop her from leaving yet again. She evaluated herself as truly worthless now, for even her savior had abandoned her. Had she been betrayed? That was what it felt like. Maybe the stranger just didn't care anymore? Understandable. It was all the same... She was alone again. That was the only clear thing she could see, for even her tears had mixed with her blood as they continued streaming away.

She heard footsteps approaching, but didn't bother to look up. She didn't want to look at whoever was walking by, ignoring her, or whoever was sneering at her, or the fist or foot that was flying at her. She had seen it all enough to know.

Her hand was torn away from her head, and she prepared herself to be yanked from the ground. A very familiar softness was placed on it instead, which she immediately recognized as her bow. She opened her eyes, and in her hand was her little black bow and the hand of the blonde.

Feeling more tears effortlessly welling up, she almost silently mumbled, "I-I... How did you-"

The blonde grinned. "Perks of being a loyal customer. Now," she said as she gently lifted the girl to her feet, "are you alright?"

The girl stared at her, just utterly shocked that this stranger would come to help her where nobody else ever had before. She felt secure holding on to her, like she was tethered to the only person who seemed averse to harassing her on sight. Who would protect her. She felt safe, even. She blushed when she realized she hadn't given the blonde an answer and how desperately she was clinging to her hand.

"You're bleeding," she said, concern evident in her voice as she finally noticed the deep red slice under the blonde's right eye.

"What, this?" Yang put a finger up to it, wincing more than she would have liked to.

"How did you get that?"

"That third chick pulled a knife on me, was all." Yang suddenly turned her gaze back to the girl. "You're bleeding too, are you alright?"

She remembered the blood and bruises again, her aching bones and itchy eyes.

"I'll survive," she finally said. "I always have."

"But, that doesn't mean you've got to, to suffer!" Yang exclaimed. "Why don't you fight back?"

"...It's hard to fight against the world by yourself," she said, looking down at the pavement.

"Well then I'll fight with you. So, what's your name?"

Despite her bolstering words, Blake cast a wary and uncertain glare her way, drawing in a shaky breath as she did.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I should've introduced myself a while ago. I'm Yang! I would shake hands, but..."

She reassuringly squeezed the girl's hand with a wink.

A hot blush leapt to the girl's cheeks in a fever. Yang smiled but payed no mind, deciding against teasing her about it. She was very clearly still shaken up, and this was made evident with how her hand was trembling.

She quietly answered, “Blake.”

“Well, Blake, you got a place to stay?”

She shamefully shook her head, refusing to look at Yang.

“How about you stay with me then? It’s just my little sister and me, and her girlfriend visits a few times a week.”

“What about your parents?”

Yang didn’t offer an immediate response. She looked at a few different places about the street, then sighed. “It’s a long story. But I wanna hear yours first, so will you stay with me?”

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to hold you back with a third mouth to feed.”

“Blake, it’s fine. I promise. ‘I’ll survive. I always have.’ Sound familiar?” She asked, smirking at her.

“Very funny,” Blake said, immediately struck with Yang's infectious grin. It felt foreign to smile, but she couldn't help smiling more as she toyed with the idea of staying with Yang.

Waiting for Blake to make up her mind, Yang busied herself with retrieving her bag of groceries and then returned to the Faunus.

“So? What’s it gonna be?” She asked, turning to Blake with a cocked brow.

“I suppose, if it’s alright with you..."

“Then we’re off!” Yang proclaimed with a gleaming smile as the streetlights glared in the shadows around them.

She started leading Blake down the sidewalk, loosely hanging on to her hand to guide her. She wasn’t too sure if she was providing support for her or making things weird, but Blake wasn’t objecting and so neither was she.

Though, maybe it was just in Blake's nature not to protest. Yang wondered what she was like. She seemed to be tight-lipped, holding a curious and intelligent air about her, but as of right now she had no way of knowing for sure. She was eager to find out though, for she had never befriended a Faunus before. As far as she could tell they didn't seem too different at all, causing her to again ask why they always received such horrible treatment.

Blake also was wondering these thoughts about Yang. Why was she different than everyone else? Why was she willing to help so much that she would endanger herself for Blake's sake? Why did she decide to help in the first place, or even, why didn't she join in?

“Oh, I know!”

Yang suddenly clicked her tongue, jarring Blake from her curiosities to see the blonde stop, placing her bag down and digging elbow deep into it, still grasping on to her hand.

After a few moments of sifting for yet another surprise, Yang sprang back up with a small, rectangular silver can in her hand.

“Now please, please don’t be mad at me if I’m wrong about this, but I know that cats like tuna. So does that mean you like tuna too?” She asked, feebly holding out the can to Blake.

Blake's weary eyes nearly popped out when she saw the silver shine in Yang’s hands. She resisted the urge to snatch it up immediately, finding that her stomach was almost in more pain than the rest of her body.

She remained composed, however, calmly accepting the kind offering. “It seems you’re not just all brawn,” she teased.

Yang turned with a complacent grin, saying, “Cracking jokes already, are we? Something seems fishy about this.”

“What... Oh, no...” Blake groaned as she swallowed a chunk of the now foul-tasting tuna.

“That’s right! Local pun master Yang Xiao Long, at your service!”

“I hope I haven’t made a horrible mistake,” Blake muttered.

Yang sighed, “Far from it my friend, far from it.”

She tightened her grip on Blake’s hand again, evincing a little heat in her cheeks.

Turning her head she said, “Now, let’s go home, okay?”

 _Home_. Yet another foreign, strangely comfortable feeling Blake had been invited to today. As a runaway she had never imagined having a real place to belong, a home, with anyone else, or at all in her circumstances minutes prior to this little engagement. It was difficult even to dream of.

But, here she was, being fed her favorite food after having been saved by an admittedly beautiful blonde and being escorted to her home with the precious bow she had recovered.

Managing her best smile in her battered state, Blake finally gripped Yang’s hand back.

“Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting so, so long to use Ener-Schnee. Inspiration for this chapter came from Runaway by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and it just reminded me of Blake.
> 
> Anyway... I’m on the cusp of finalizing three or four or five things, kind of practice and kind of serious attempts, so hopefully I should have something uploaded soon. Expect a lot of Bumblebee/by. I’ve got a handful of those, one White Rose so far.
> 
> So, with all that out of the way, what did you think about this piece? I was practicing because I didn’t want to work on anything I was currently writing, and decided that I might share. I feel like several paragraphs were some rough transitions, so if you noticed anything that you particularly liked/disliked please do inform me. Once again, and as always, thank you for reading. Have a glorious day.


	2. Foudroyant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake is dismally swept into Yang's apartment where she meets Ruby, and a series of bitter realizations in the middle of the night.
> 
> Long but important notes, because, you know. Sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry. I am so, so, so eternally sorry for sucking so much and taking so long to getting around to doing this. Special thanks to blakhok, if you’re reading this, for convincing me to make these coming chapters a thing, and my sincere apologies for not following through.
> 
> Thing is, I was never ready to make this more than one chapter. At the time I decided to, school picked back up and I began writing more things more often, and I just could not find a suitable place for me to take this. That was the main thing I’ve struggled with, and I should have taken more time to have planned it out beforehand. No excuse, I know, but I’ve finally decided how I’m going to do it, so sorry I put it off so long.
> 
> Basically, don’t expect anything too extravagant for the months I was not working on this. This is a basic story by a painfully basic author.

"And here we are," Yang said, opening the door to her apartment and stepping aside for Blake. "Uh, welcome, I guess."

Blake entered the living room with hesitant steps and skeptical eyes that wandered about to survey her new home, however temporary, with Yang following closely behind her. The brawler kicked the door shut behind them, dropping the two bags cradled in her arms on a table to her left.

"Rubes, I'm home! C'mere for a minute, there’s someone I want you to meet!"

Blake’s stance hardened when a younger girl with darkly-streaked messy hair and shining metallic eyes happily bounded up to meet Yang from a door at the end of the room. Upon seeing the beat-up stranger being escorted into her home, by her sister no less, Ruby worriedly stopped short of the two trading leery glances between them.

"Umm… hi there! Welcome, to our humble abode. Uh... yeah."

So this was her sister. It was immediately apparent that she owned the same level of unnatural charisma as Yang, but it was betrayed by her bashfulness as she stood unwilling to approach Blake.

Blake felt Yang’s hand release from her own for the first time that night, and she was then unable to prevent an audible hitch of alarm from escaping her lips. Yang, having likely noticed, gave her a relieving smile that she hoped would calm the Faunus for the moment as she walked up to her visibly confused sister to address her fears as well. She wrapped her arm around her sibling and pulled her close, turning to face Blake with another broad smile that exuded a reassuring confidence to both parties.

"Ruby, meet Blake. I met her on the way back, and she's super nice and all but she's in a bit of a rough spot right now, so I offered and she's gonna stay with us for a while, okay?"

Unconvinced, Ruby traded nervous glances between the two, wondering if Yang would offer any further information on her very brief and clearly truncated introduction.

Seeing that she was content with keeping it that way, Ruby timidly turned to Blake and said, "Oh, okay then... Well it's nice to meet you Blake! I'm Ruby!"

Yang detached her arm from her and quipped, “Uh, she just heard your name, sis.”

“Shut up Yang! Trying to introduce myself here..." Ruby grumbled, extending her hand to the newcomer.

Blake was startled by the girl’s sudden gaiety.

 _'She must trust her sister a great deal to just take her word like that... Regardless, I don't want to appear rude._ '

Blake silently shook her outstretched hand and Ruby awkwardly stepped back, looking somewhat impatiently to her sister for a signal, unsure of what to do next. Yang instead dismissed her, having made their acquaintances, and she hurriedly scurried back to her room.

"See? She's a little shy but Ruby's nice, and she wouldn't dream of hurting anything anyway. She's probably gonna go to sleep soon. Speaking of which, it's pretty late, huh?" Yang held a hand to her head and thoughtfully glanced around the apartment.

She was trying to keep the buoying flow of a conversation going between them, but one of the few thoughts present in Blake’s mind was the fact that she hadn’t taken her hand again. She was unsure why that, of all things, took precedence over all her other worries now that she was sheltered in her apartment. It confused her as to what that meant to her, but she hastily shed her concern as Yang‘s eyes landed back on her.

"Well,” Yang said, picking back up on her hanging words, “I guess I'll sleep on the couch and you can take my bed for a few nights until we can figure something out."

Blake blanched at the idea of stealing Yang’s room and faintly proposed that she keep it for herself. After all the trouble she had gone through to help her, Blake only desired that she at least rest easy knowing she had accomplished that.

Rather than thanking her for her generous offer, Yang lowered the Faunus’ protesting hands and exclaimed, "No way Blake, look at you! You're practically sleepwalking, and we've gotta get this blood off of you too. Don't you wanna take a shower or rest or something?"

Blake took a steep breath, partially to calm her growing appreciation of Yang’s selflessness and partially to sort through her options. She was still enduring her aching pains and felt supremely tired, but she thought she must have looked just as dirty and disheveled as well.

"I just... I just want to sleep. I need time to think."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I could go for a whole lotta sleep too." Yang stretched her arms above her to facilitate a yawn and began walking to a door not too far down from her sister's. 

Blake didn't follow immediately. She had wrapped herself in solacing thoughts about her new situation. She had never even set foot in a decent bedroom before, much less sleep in one. And then there was the fact that she had a trustworthy and perhaps permanent place to call her own, and that she would be protected and surrounded by friendly and considerate people... She would be safe and secure, having somewhere to stay instead of always searching for somewhere to run… 

"I- Thank you, Yang..." She whimpered, falling right into her arms.

"Hey, hey, it's no problem. Oh, c'mon Blakey, you're gonna make me start crying too,” she teased.

"I'm sorry," Blake mumbled as she forced herself to back away and dry her eyes, making an effort to hide them with her hands. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Yang said with a debonair toss of her head. "I'm gonna take good care of you Blake, I promise."

Against those stubborn and soothing lavender eyes Blake quietly acquiesced.

Yang clapped a kindly hand on her shoulder, unwittingly earning a flinch from the raven-haired girl. "Hey, let's get a good night's sleep, alright?"

Diverting Blake’s thoughts with those consoling words, Yang finished guiding her through the living room and into her bedroom.

"I'll try my best," Blake dryly muttered as she delicately sat herself on the edge of the bed, choosing to cast her stare downward rather than to its owner.

Yang took a thorough examination of her own room. It wasn't too spacious of an area, but was just cramped enough to be considered homey. A pale lavender painted the walls, save for a window hanging opposite the door. A nightstand sat quietly on the far side of the bed, accompanied by a lamp that rested on it.

With a tiny shrug of sorts she looked at Blake and said, "Yeah, our place isn't really anything special, but we've got comfy beds!"

Earning no response from her, Yang let a disappointed breath fall before turning to her guest.

"Well, goodnight Blake. Remember, if you need anything-"

"I got it Yang," she forced, providing a false smile.

"You'll be in trouble if you don't," she poked, playfully pointing a finger at her with a wink. "Sleep tight!"

With that, Yang shut the door, and from her side took a moment to dread her impaired approach to the beauty behind it. She clutched her cheeks and blew out a weary sigh, wondering if she was making the right moves to help or just confusing the poor girl more. All she wanted to do was talk to her, but talking didn’t seem to be in Blake’s interests right now. And strangely, Yang thought, neither was she.

Yang shook her head and made her way over to Ruby's room a few feet down and peeked in, to find her munching on a few of the cookies she had brought back for her.

"I see you found something to eat, huh?"

"Ah! Yang!” She whirled around with a muffled yelp, choking down the sweet she was already devouring. “These definitely aren't the cookies you just bought!"

“I don’t remember giving those to you Ruby,” Yang teased, putting on an accusatory grin and sticking her hands to her hips.

“And I _definitely_ don’t remember stealing them when you were talking to Blake.”

"I’m just kidding Ruby, they’re all for you anyways."

“Well, don’t you want any?” Ruby asked as she held out a cookie to her.

“Oh I do, but you always eat them all before I can get my hands on one,” Yang joked as she accepted her sister’s gift and firmly closed the door behind her. She sat herself on the edge of Ruby's bed, unknowingly letting her smile silently wilt into a thoughtful frown as she thought about the new resident in their humble abode.

Taking another chomp into the sweet, Ruby slowly sat down next to her.

"You wanna talk about Blake?"

Yang sighed again. "Yeah. So, here's what happened..."

\-----

Yang's room was nice. The bed was incredibly snug, equipped with pillows whose softness bordered that of clouds, and the moon cast a pale, charming light through the blinds.

Blake ran her hand along the edge of the sheets, feeling a bit foolish as she hesitated to climb into Yang's bed and feeling more than a bit guilty for doing so knowing Yang was lying on a couch.

Willing herself to cleanse her weariness however, Blake forced herself in and under the foreign covers in time and couldn't avoid letting out a heavy breath. She nestled herself tighter under the fluffy, friendly covers, already beginning to feel cozy. Shadows enveloped the room, wrapping their spectral arms around her as she searched for sleep amongst the dark light floating through the window.

As deeply as Blake desired to sleep, to just shut down and leave the world for a time, she couldn't will her heart or her mind to rest with her body. She found herself uneasy. She tossed and turned, eventually resorting to just staring up at the ceiling, her body as motionless as the still fan suspended in the air above her. Glancing out at the stale night, she could sense she was into the early stretches of the morning. Wandering thoughts and feelings passed through the room to accompany her in her miserable cogitation, but some simply refused to leave, continuing to lurk and bear down on her conscience.

She wondered why Yang hadn’t taken her hand again. She wondered why she had in the first place, and for so long. Likely to try to keep her calm on the way back, making sure she was alright. But, when Ruby came out...

Blake deflated at the memory. For the brief moment immediately after Yang had let go, she had been afraid. Without her comfortable, anchoring, and dare she say affectionate presence next to her, she felt alone again, truly realizing for the first time how painful it felt to be without someone.

 _‘Stop Blake. It was nothing more than a reassuring gesture. Stop and go to sleep already... Yang will worry if she finds you awake at this hour._ ’

She miserably groaned and buried her face in the pillow.

 _'Why did I add that last part? Why do I keep abbreviating all my thoughts with Yang? Have I really become that attached to her, that needy of her so quickly?_ '

Blake considered it. In the span of a few short hours, her world had been turned upside down for the better. The coldness and contempt of the streets had been replaced by the warmth and tenderness of Yang’s gratitude. She wasn’t alone anymore. She wasn’t hated anymore. She knew she wouldn’t be anymore so long as she was with Yang. To be without Yang now seemed unthinkable. Her heart churned when she imagined being suddenly abandoned again. The only light she had ever known would be snuffed out in her hands, and she would find herself wishing that Yang were holding them agai-

 _‘Stop, Blake! This is the very definition of insanity. You can’t care about Yang this much... Especially when she doesn’t care that much about you._ ’

She furrowed her brow, ignoring how dismally she exhaled with that last thought.

She had to wonder what was wrong with herself.

 _‘Damn it, Blake... This is not normal behavior for anyone by any standards…_ ’

She curled her fingers tight into her hand, her skin brushing against the blanket. She had also stolen Yang’s bed, no, her entire room from her. Blake wondered what she thought about this sleeping on the couch, that she must have been irritated with the inconvenience she had brought home.

But, Blake wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Yang, and if it wasn't for those guys beating her up. She wouldn’t have rescued her if she hadn’t cared.

But... if she hadn’t been born a low-life Faunus, none of this would have happened in the first place... If she hadn’t been mocked, scorned, and hated, if she wasn't 'heartless,' 'hopeless,' and worthless...

It made her wonder why in the world why Yang cared about her, after being pestered into wasting her time with her.

Maybe if she didn't exist Yang would be better off. Maybe she wouldn't have given away her food. Maybe she wouldn't be sleeping on her own couch tonight. Maybe she wouldn't have gotten that cut under her eye.

Blake wiped away the heavy tears with her wrists. She awoke trembling and sobbing uncontrollably, feeling herself being helplessly pulled under that numbing wave from before and drowning in its weakening wake. She was breathlessly breaking down again before she could avert it and couldn't stop herself from thinking these thoughts and regrets and shame and the pain that just kept surging in. Sniveling and crying, she curled up into a tight and troubled ball beside herself, sleeping with the shadows around her, half-hoping she could just disappear and join them.

Maybe she should leave. That would be the proper way to thank Yang, to stop causing all this trouble that she's putting her through. Maybe she should just run away, just like she always has. Yang surely wouldn't miss her.

But, when Blake looked at the powerful blonde in her thoughts, gazing past the wall her mind was trying to build between them, tucked away somewhere she knew that she would miss Yang, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. When Blake looked at her, she knew that she was home with her, but... why her? Why was Yang willing to invite her in, somebody so worthless? What did she understand about Blake that she herself didn’t? Yang barely knew her after all, so it's not as if Blake actually meant something to her, right?

She couldn't. Blake was a troublemaker. Misfortune followed her wherever she went just like a black cat, for her and for everyone around. She drove people away like just another cynical Faunus, a nuisance, a tragedy, an outcast, a nobody... If only she wasn't a Faunus, or for that matter, if only she wasn’t Blake Belladonna...

"Blake!"

She yelped when the door wildly swung open. Out of the light of the living room Yang ran to the bed, to Blake, with open arms and worry and fear evident in her widened eyes.

Blake flinched at her touch just like she had before, impulsively swatting her hand away without a second thought. Yang backed away in response, a wounded breath escaping her lips.

"Blake! Blake, are you okay?"

"Why did you come to help me?”

"What? Blake-"

"Why did you help me?" She cried with a stumbling voice, her fears carelessly tumbling out.

"I heard you crying so I-"

"No! Why did you come help me, when they were beating me up on the street? Why did you care? What compelled you to waste your time with me? What did you think you would accomplish?"

Yang's voice was weakened to a whimper in the face of these despairing questions and the distraught voice behind them.

"Blake-"

"You didn't even know me," she choked out. "I'm a Faunus, and you still helped me! Why help someone so worthless?"

Yang was, just, shocked. Staring wide-eyed and helpless, she was at a loss of action. She had anticipated that Blake would need some time to adjust to things, but she was in no way prepared for her to turn so maudlin so suddenly. She could see that Blake was choked with trepidation as she watched her release her emotions like a flood, but she was unsure of how to ford it to just get to her. All she knew was that she yearned to do something that would pacify her, to somehow quell her crying though no options presented themselves to her.

Yang eventually decided on the most candid approach she could, knowing it would require an earnest answer to satisfy Blake in her distraught state, and so she took on a gentle, consoling tone and spoke softly to provide one.

"I helped you because, I've seen what can happen to people and to families firsthand, when they're left helpless. I didn't want that to happen to you."

"I don't have a family..." Blake bitterly replied.

"Then it's the perfect time to start one," Yang offered, pleaded as she hopefully leaned forward.

"You can't fix me, Yang! I'm not broken, I've been bent beyond repair... I can't even help myself, so why bother-"

"Because you're important to me Blake!"

Blake shrank away from the sudden aggressiveness in Yang's voice, the passion running red in her eyes, but with nowhere else to run she still desperately clung to her ground.

"You've only known me for less than a day. You don't know anything about me! And you got hurt, helping me Yang. How could I mean anything to you?"

"Because that's all I want Blake, to help the people who need it. Like Ruby, and like you. It doesn’t matter how much I get hurt in the process. That fight wasn't a big problem for me anyways, so don't worry about me.”

“You’d be better off if I didn’t exist at all so you don’t have to get hurt helping me..."

“What?” Yang was taken aback by her extreme statement. “No way would I ever be better off without you Blake. What would make you think that?”

Blake couldn’t provide an answer. She didn’t know _what_ she was thinking anymore, much less why now that she had sunk so low and allowed herself to be swept away by the torrent of troubles around her. And she felt so frustrated that Yang still went out of her way to assist such a lost cause and hated to see her struggle for it, but still couldn’t shake the relief of knowing that she was. She was so bewildered by the conflicting emotions that she couldn’t face Yang, who released a tense breath.

“I decided to help knowing I might get hurt so that you wouldn’t. I hate to see people get hurt that don’t deserve it Blake.”

“ _You_ don’t deserve to be hurt Yang! I don’t want to see anybody else get hurt because of me!”

“Then please, just let me in Blake. I care about you. And even if you don’t, if you can’t help yourself then you can bet that I’m going to.”

Blake couldn’t answer to this, to her steely stare. All she could think about was why Yang cared so much. Why she openly embraced Blake even though she herself made no move to do the same and why she was going through so much trouble to do so. And, perhaps what troubled Blake the most, was how Yang wouldn’t have to if she had never come along.

When she spoke, with her quivering lips, her voice barely rose above a whisper.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you would be better off-”

“It does Blake!”

“Why?!”

“Because you’re my friend!”

Blake recoiled, feeling as if she had been dealt a heavy dent to her heart. Leaning back, her eyes rounded with worry and fear and apprehension, crying, she could see that Yang’s were just the same, worried and tearing up, her brow furrowed in similar distress.

Her voice was lowered by a depressed sympathy.

“And, you're right, I haven't known you for really any time at all, but, I _want_ to know more about you! I want to spend more time with you, because... you don't deserve to be going through the pain that you are.”

Yang went silent, staring at down at the bed. Blake, however, did not interject, being too overwhelmed to oppose her earnest confession. She couldn’t fathom what she was saying.

Yang lifted her head to continue, her voice softer and more serene, but a determined desire still present in her eyes.

“You don’t deserve to be alone, just because most people think that Faunus aren't people too. I don't want you to have to run away from anything ever again Blake. Especially not from me. I just want to help, and you've let me, so let me keep helping you. Please Blake."

Lullabied into a stunned silence, Blake couldn't believe what Yang was saying. She felt sick unlike she ever had before, as if her heart was coiling tight in her chest. She didn’t want to believe it. Yang _wanted_ to spend time with her? Why did it hurt so much to hear that? Why was being told how much she mattered hurting?

Why couldn't she stop sobbing? Why was she letting Yang hug her? Why couldn't she stop her? Why were they kissing?

Why were they kissing?

Yang abruptly broke away taking a weightless Blake toward her, lavender eyes wide with alarm.

"I, um, I'm sorry Blake," she mumbled as she got up to leave, "I-I didn't mean... sorry."

Blake wanted to call out to her, to tell her to stop, to come back, to hold her again, but Yang had shut herself outside the room while she was rendered speechless.

The light shut itself away with Yang's closing of the door, cold shadows coming to take her place instead. The sound of the wood colliding against the frame, the click, and the silence that followed, all seemed so much louder than before.

None of what Yang had said made sense to Blake, and it bothered her to no end as she tried to decipher any of it. The words and the feelings escaped her even though she knew they were right in front of her, like perfectly-fitting pieces that belonged to different puzzles. She felt as if her and Yang were a paradox and were unable to coexist together, even though the only thing they wanted was each other’s company. And the kiss… Blake could not fathom it. It felt as if it had never happened in the first place, as if she had just woken up from a bad dream. She knew she felt it but wasn’t sure if she could trust it.

Blake’s mind was frantic, desperately grasping for any explanation she could come up with, but no matter how far it ran it kept looping back to the same fear.

Why was she outside again? Alone again?

She collapsed into another shuddering, sobbing mess on the bed, this time _because_ she wanted to get Yang’s attention. She wanted to see her again, to tell her she didn't do anything wrong. She couldn't have done anything better.

Why were they kissing?

And why did it hurt so much to stop?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally, I think I executed the confrontation in ‘Lonely Together’ better than this one. Maybe because I’ve reread this thing five hundred gazillion times trying to improve it. I hope that Blake’s frantic thoughts switching back and forth was not confusing in any way, and if it was, please do leave a comment about it if you have any suggestions to make it flow better. I wrote from personal experience, so perhaps I wasn’t translating those feelings very clearly.
> 
> I feel like this one is not great, to be perfectly honest. I know I say that about every fic, but there was something about this thing that I could not figure out. I let my friend read it and they said I was just stressed out, but if anything seems off do tell. Speaking of, that friend would be the author OneofThoseDays, who is giving quite the assist on Kintsugi right now. They’re currently updating a long original story about a zombie infection (mind you, it’s ACTUALLY great [ironic, seeing as how I couldn’t update this silly short story]), called ‘The City of Ex,’ but please do yourself a favor and check it out. They deserve the attention. It really is fantastic, and you would be better off there than wasting your time here.
> 
> But, thank you for reading, those who came back and aren’t totally through with me (sorry again), and thank you spending your valuable time reading here of all places. Chapter Three coming soon. For real this time.


	3. Lost in the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trade-off of being offered reflection means facing yourself in the mirror. Some choose to stare themselves down. Some choose to look away. Some don't recognize who it is speaking to them.

When Blake awoke, she didn't open her eyes.

She was afraid that the warm morning sunlight hovering around her was Yang, gently and patiently waiting. For what, she couldn’t guess at. She was afraid to even make eye contact with her, much less try to strike up some choppy form of conversation. What would happen? What would she say? ...What would become of them?

Blake trembled remembering the misfortunate events of the night before and miserably retreated further under the covers.

She couldn’t believe Yang did that. It was hard enough to swallow everything that she had so genuinely said about helping her and spending time with her, but she never thought that Yang could have a romantic interest driving her. Or any interest at all. Especially not after so little time... It still puzzled her. She still didn’t understand how, after the minimal amount of time they had known each other, Yang could say all that and then go on to like her.

...She probably didn’t. Blake rationalized the conversation they had together and dejectedly labeled the kiss as a final attempt to peacefully sway her for the night. But it was morning now, and she was definitely feeling the dismal repercussions.

And it was only made worse by the fact that Yang was beating herself up just as much. Blake knew she was, whether she was talking to Ruby about it, still sleeping on the couch and dreaming or having nightmares about it, or trying to just forget about it altogether. Blake wasn’t sure which one she’d rather be doing.

But she couldn’t place all of her blame on Yang. After all, she could have avoided this needless friction between them if she had worked to befriend her rather than remain wary of her. But now… Yang wanted to be more than a friend. That single kiss had launched waves of conflicting feelings inside Blake that led her mind astray, aching from the pressure every worry brought her.

She was exhaling a heavy breath when she sniffled, and realized she was about to begin tearing up again. She was breathing in unstable tremors, something more akin to sobbing than to sighing.

Blake tried directing her thoughts somewhere else for the moment, closing her eyes and her mind, but they always wandered back to the warm spectre that hung around her lips. She wanted to punch something when she thought about it and could feel it so easily. She didn’t want to punch Yang, but something, she wanted to tear at the walls and break the lamp on the nightstand, only because she did not understand why Yang kissed her. It infuriated her because she couldn’t make sense of it.

 _‘Why?’_ She repeated to herself, angrier and angrier each time. Why did Yang like her? Or... if that wasn’t the case, then why had Yang even tried another attempt at helping her in the dead-middle of the night? And on that thought, cursing herself for brooding on it again, why didn’t she stay after she did kiss her? If she wanted to help so badly, then why didn’t she help Blake understand how _she_ was feeling? Maybe Yang did like her...

...Or not.

_‘Why do I need to know?’_

And most of all, why Blake of all people? She was still hung up on this one, and the thought was pulling tighter and tighter around her chest the more she pondered it. Yang could have easily chosen anyone, and anyone would have chosen her back in a heartbeat upon getting to know her; Blake was certain of that much by now.

_‘So why me?’_

Blake was just confusing herself again. She knew that, and it wasn’t helping calm her anger directed at the entire situation.

_'Just... why?’_

Her mounting irritation peaked when she imagined Yang holding a secret interest in her, without telling her that of all things and getting it out of the way, but it subsided when another thought occurred to her. It froze her, striking her down in her bones as if to give her pause for her moment of clarity.

 _‘Why do_ I _want to know why?’_

Blake found herself intensely frowning. She tried to ease her tensed muscles and mind, and thought. She dreamed deeply about how she truly felt about this, behind her irrational ire and stubbornness still kicking her from the night before.

She remembered last night, and while she found herself resisting Yang’s desperate endeavors, she found that didn’t know why she was. She tried to recall exactly what tremulous emotions she was feeling, but, all she remembered was a sickly sort of emptiness. She tried to recreate the scenario in her mind. The way that they were sitting, the tears down her cheeks and her trembling heart, Yang in front of her pleading with both words and eyes...

And, thinking, of Yang, she felt something familiar. She was yearning, hoping against hope for something... and then Yang kissed her, and it vanished for the moment, and then Yang left and her desire seemed crushed.

Blake opened her eyes again, slowly frowning, peering downward. She wanted Yang closer, she knew that, to help, to hug, but... She discarded the thought of the kiss for the moment. She wanted Yang closer, she concluded. Blake believed that Yang could help her, that she wanted her to help, and that Yang could and would provide it to her. She never wanted her to stop talking to her, or to leave the room, or her side. She never wanted her to let go of her hand. She just wanted to know why Yang felt this way, and why she did all the things that she did that night.

Blake wanted to talk with her again. She wanted to be with Yang so badly right now she thought she may have needed her instead.

She slowly dug her way out from underneath the heavy blanket, and let her head drop into the pillow. The clock told her an entire hour had gone by. The light in the room felt renewed.

Blake felt better. Perhaps not hopeful, but more secure. She entrusted herself to Yang now, but soon a burgeoning new fear began to creep up on her, that Yang still regretted her action from the night before. And may have regretted talking to Blake altogether.

Suddenly Blake curled up, feeling a ravenous ache clamor around in her stomach. It was past ten and she still had barely eaten anything since Yang had found her. She dreaded the notion of leaving the bedroom, dreading the possibility of Yang waiting outside, but decided that she couldn’t wait for her hunger.

Blake begrudgingly started for the door, reviewing everything she had thought about, attempting to rectify herself for when her and Yang next met.

Her gaze drifted back behind her, feeling as if she were forgetting something other than her confidence and saw her black bow left on the nightstand next to the yellow lamp she had wanted to crush only ten minutes ago.

To her dismay she realized that she did not feel confident by any means.

She took it and tied it atop her ears with a sigh and touched the doorknob. Blake wanted, more than anything, for there to be a silver lining somewhere in the stormy skies she found herself in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “So GuyOfShy, how long is thing gonna be anyway? What kinda figures are we looking at?”
> 
> Now what’s that phrase… ‘I’m closer to the end than I am the beginning.’ I’ll leave you to do the math. I said not to expect anything extravagant, so, yeah... Sorry.
> 
> *exhale* Okay, that was chapter three... first of all, I apologize for it being short. So part of the inspiration for Blake's back-and-forth good-and-bad examinations of herself, Yang, and how she felt about her and so on, were my own thoughts that I had at point where I was in a similar situation. This also goes for the next chapter. I based it largely around what I was thinking at that time and I hoped to apply it to Blake (and hopefully I did well in that regard... thoughts on that, disregarding its story significance?). I hope it wasn't confusing, or overdone, or something like that.
> 
> I hate to do this but I think I'm going to take a little more time for Chapter Four. As in, the week after next, I think. Very recently I was... 'emotionally defeated' by an event, and near the same time discovered that Kintsugi has become a passion project that is something personal to me. So I want to take the time to do it as best as I can, even though that isn't much and even though I've already taken so much time already.
> 
> Sorry for getting real there. Chapter Four is up next, and thank you as always for sticking through with and reading this.


	4. Mistakes and Misconeptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake consults the only other person in the world who could be knowledgeable of Yang's feelings, but they share the sinking feeling that they can't do anything for her. Not until Blake makes a move for herself.

Twisting the knob of the bedroom door was the hardest thing Blake could ever recall doing, second only to surviving the night before.

An iciness seemed to be freezing her hand as she touched it. As if disaster was creeping up from both behind her and behind the door. She feared who she would find on the other side.

Yang could have been walking toward it right now.

And she would have found Blake paralyzed, caught without any sense of direction even though the one thing she wanted stood only a step in front of her.

Blake exhaled, realizing she hadn’t for some time when she finally felt her heart hammering against her chest for relief. Slowly, achingly she pushed the door out and open, observing what lied beyond in a hesitant fright.

No golden, glowing light yet.

The door let out a starling creak as it was edged open by Blake’s nervous hands, giving away her presence to the redhead she saw sitting on the couch in front of the television. Ruby flinched when she heard the door squealing but didn’t turn around, for a number of reasons that Blake could safely guess at.

She found herself thankful she was about to talk to Ruby instead of Yang. Frankly, she admitted, she was nowhere near ready to speak more than a single word to the older of the two. The thought lowered her spirits, but once she noticed Ruby beginning to turn she hastily tried to wipe away any tension and sadness that may have been dampening her voice.

But she couldn't quite escape her low tone, only murmuring her hello.

"Oh! Good morning Blake!" Ruby scrambled to turn around on the couch and faced her with a great smile that she wished she could have reciprocated. "Did you sleep well?"

Blake forced herself to look away from her showering of eager enthusiasm, and slowly traipsed around the area. "Not quite..."

She couldn't lie. A night of shameful loneliness haunted her whether she was awake or asleep, and the feeling had returned full circle in the morning.

Ruby was closely watching her as she ambled to the kitchen, but paid no mind to her lagging body and lowered eyes.

"Aw, well I hope you sleep better tonight. Sorry that sis isn't here, she still had to work today. Uh, is there anything I can do for you?"

Blake thought on it for a moment. She wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to ask about Yang now that she knew she wasn’t around, but wasn't sure if Ruby knew about last night... or that her question would matter anyway.

“Not particularly.”

The two shared an empty silence.

Ruby watched her take a seat at the counter, slowly lowering her head into her arms, slowly breathing out a weary sigh.

“I... Um, Yang, told me what happened."

Blake flinched in her chair, less at the revelation and more at the utterance of Yang’s name.

"She did?"

"Yeah. I think it's cool you're a Faunus Blake, and so does Yang. She said she thought your ears were really cute."

"She told me that."

Thinking of the right words to start with, she said, "Ruby..."

The girl remained silent. Staring at Blake with curious eyes she waited for her to finish her thought.

"Yang told me that you have a girlfriend. What is she like?"

Ruby faltered, and she blushed a bright red upon discovering Blake's knowledge of Weiss.

"Oh, I, Weiss? Honestly I was surprised to find that she was into me,” she sheepishly admitted. “She's a little hard to get along with at first, but once you get to know her she's super nice! Yang isn’t really fond of her sassy side, but I like it. Um, why?"

Blake kept her eyes down.

' _Once you get to know her…_ '

She heard Yang's words reverberating in her head, which had already been the source of more than one headache since she woke up.

' _I **want** to know more about you!_ '

And Blake stopped. She stopped thinking, and she may as well have stopped breathing altogether. She stopped to search for what that thought of Yang had triggered in her memory, faintly remembering everything she was mulling over when she woke up.

‘ _Why me?_ ’ she had asked. Why did Yang like her, and not any other available person on the planet? Yang could have chosen any of them upon getting to know them, and anyone would have chosen her back in a heartbeat upon getting to know her; Blake was certain of that much by now.

Blake knew she would have. That was just about the only thing she was sure of now.

...Was that why she had wanted to know more about Yang so badly? Why she was troubling herself with worrying about every single thing Yang could have been thinking about her?

Blake realized with an urgent sense of dismay that everything around her, every question she could find no solutions to were suddenly answered.

It made perfect sense.

That would explain the despair and the desperation she felt when Yang fled the room after she had kissed her. It explained why she was so wary of being around her or talking to her or thinking of her and why she couldn’t make sense of anything else before this.

In a panic Blake immediately tried to let go of the thought before she actually started panicking. She blew it away as she breathed out, and gingerly asked Ruby, "Is Yang, also into girls then?"

Blake couldn’t trust herself with this without more evidence of its validity. She had to be sure. If she happened to assume wrong by grasping to a solution so quickly it would only spell disaster for them both.

Ruby spent no time mulling over her own answer.

"Yang? Oh yeah, she’s..." Ruby opened her mouth, confident of her answer, but then frowned. "She might? I dunno, actually... she's never told me about who she likes, if she ever has liked someone. Why do you wanna know? I thought you two were going out anyway," she curiously recalled.

Blake couldn't avoid an overreaction. Raising her voice a more than a hair she incredulously asked, "What? Us?"

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry! I guess I just assumed you were because you were holding hands when you guys walked in... I'm sorry! I just figured that she wouldn’t have wanted to tell me that so soon, and I… uh, I’m sorry..."

Blake struggled to free her mind from the possibility, but instead found herself following it back to her conversation.

“Why are you asking? I would think it obvious that we aren’t... on the best of terms. As much as I hate to say that.”

“Really?” Ruby confusedly asked. “You two seemed friendly, and nice toward each other. That’s what Yang told me.”

Blake was confused as well when Ruby said that, and was about to chalk it up as her being even more optimistic than her sister, but soon realized her mistake.

‘ _When she said that Yang told her what happened, she meant what happened on the street... and not late last night._ ’

She cursed herself for not being more careful and then blamed herself for being so caught up in her worries, but focused for the moment on navigating the new course she had just set for their conversation.

“Ruby... Yang didn’t tell you about last night, did she?”

“Uh, I don’t think so? What happened?” She asked again with the same concerned stare and tone.

Blake cut right to the chase, not wanting to depress herself with the more sorrowful events of the night before. “Yang was talking to me, because I had a bit of a meltdown to put it lightly, and, she ended up kissing me.”

She unintentionally whispered the last part, and Ruby pursed her lips a bit, shocked and surprised at her sister’s unwonted action. That did not sound like something Yang would ever do. At least, not with someone in Blake’s circumstances.

“I don’t know why,” she continued. “And I doubt you do either, but right after that she apologized and ran out... and I’m not doing so well. And I doubt she is either.”

“Oh,” was all Ruby could manage. Both silently looked away from the other, trying to think on what to say. Blake was again lost in her thoughts, wondering if she made another mistake in telling Ruby her tragic tale, when she was shook by her worried voice approaching her.

“That doesn’t sound like Yang. I mean, for her to take a leap like that.”

“I... I was so surprised. I didn’t know what to think. Do you think, that she actually likes me Ruby?”

Ruby honestly had no idea. She saw now why Blake asked about Yang’s romantic interests, but she knew just as much. It hadn’t occurred to her that Yang could have liked Blake at all. And apparently, it hadn't occurred to either of them either. If Yang did in fact like her though it would explain why she never mentioned it to Ruby, since she probably thought it best to quickly sacrifice those feelings to make sure that she could help keep Blake’s intact.

Ruby wanted to answer her, to offer some kind of closure or reaffirming feedback but was dissuaded by Blake’s pleading stare. The worst thing she could do, she realized, was to try to encourage her with something that would only let her down later. She wasn’t even sure what Blake wanted to hear anyway, even if she did have an answer to give her.

“Umm... I, I don’t know Blake. Sorry. She didn’t tell me anything. But, I mean it might still be a possibility. Do you think she does?”

Blake’s heart dropped. The numbing sense of emptiness overtook her again, simply because she had no semblance of her feelings either.

“I don’t know what to think anymore Ruby,” she admitted in a defeated breath. She held her head in her hands, staring down at the countertop. She felt sick. Sick of talking, sick of thinking, sick of herself... not sick of Yang. She was sick of everything Yang was making her feel. Her head told her this and her heart told her that, constantly tearing themselves in opposite directions, one sinking toward herself and the other gravitating toward Yang.

“Blake?”

“Huh? I’m sorry, Ruby… what?”

“Uh, I asked, do you like Yang?”

“Do I like Yang?” Blake repeated, more to herself than to Ruby.

She realized with dread that she wasn’t sure, and hastily ran back to her thoughts from before to put them in this new context. The feelings that she felt, the desire to have Yang closer, she realized, were all mixed up in her heart. She tried telling herself she wanted to bond with Yang as a friend, someone who had only saved her out of a courtesy, and her heart rejected it to ask for something more. She more hesitantly tried convincing herself that she liked or even loved Yang, still wanting her closer in a bonding relationship and her head waved it off, likening the idea to foolishness.

Either way, she still clung to the idea that she wanted Yang, but just couldn’t make sense of how. And as long as that mental block impeded her true feelings, whatever they were, she was still as helpless as ever in proceeding closer to her.

“I think... that I want to. But I don’t, because if she doesn’t share the same feelings, then... I don’t know how I’ll be able to live with that. We’ll only end up hurting each other.”

“Blake... I think you’re worrying about this too much.”

Blake raised her head, intrigued. ‘This’ was all that she had. She had wasted time and energy on it, yes, but it wasn’t for a wasteful cause.

“What do you mean?”

“Yang would never, ever hurt you on purpose.”

“I know that-”

“Oh I know you know that, I’m saying that if she does like you she’s only going to try to get closer, and if that involves possibly hurting you, then she’ll stay away. I know my sister Blake.”

Barely above a whisper, Blake asked, “What are you trying to tell me Ruby?”

Ruby felt so, so bad for Blake. With the desperate way she uttered her words, she was hurting. All she wanted was an answer, something she could hold onto. Unfortunately, holding hands with Yang seemed out of the question for now, Ruby dismally thought. She knew all this and understood all the pain Blake was troubling herself with and wanted to help so badly, but she just didn’t have an answer to give. Though, she could at least try and give her some advice.

“I guess, that now, it’s up to you Blake. Yang’s going to come home sooner or later, and she’s going to want to talk to you. So, when she does, if you like her... well, tell her.”

“Ruby, I can’t tell her that! You don’t know what kind of-”

“No, I don’t, but I do know that Yang likes you. I’m certain of it, actually. She doesn’t go around kissing people all willy-nilly,” she said with an exaggerated wave of her hands. Now that Blake noticed them, Ruby’s hands were clenched into little fists, and she had worked herself into a ball facing her on the couch.

“You mean a lot to her Blake. She only wants you closer. She just, isn’t the best at showing it sometimes. And, it sounds to me like the only thing that you want is for her to be closer too. So just tell her that!”

Blake found herself speechless. She couldn’t respond to the solution that she had so desperately sought being placed in her hands and being entrusted to her like this, so simply and so suddenly. She couldn’t do it. No, she couldn’t. Not so long as she remained so indecisive on the whole issue, and not as long as Yang still carried her regrets. If Yang were to deny her... then there would be nothing left. She would be alone again, suffering in a new, bitter brand of silence that she knew she had never felt before.

She couldn’t do it. She would rather be held in Yang’s basic friendship than threaten to rock the boat with a love that she couldn’t even convince herself of.

Blake was about to retreat back to the bedroom with this new arsenal of answers, of questions, to do what with though she had no idea. But, before she left, she felt inclined to make one more desperate inquiry.

“Ruby, what else did Yang say about me?”

“Let’s see… she did admit that you were really pretty. Yang doesn’t usually care about looks that often either. She said she was really interested in knowing more about you, but she didn’t want to rush it. Blake, I don’t know if you like Yang or not, or how you feel at all about her, but I know for sure that she likes you.”

After a brief silence, Blake quietly thanked Ruby who still stared with those concerned eyes and stole some cereal that she had left out on the counter.

“Blake? Do you want some of my cookies? I saved a couple for you.”

Blake tried her best at a smile, feeling that she couldn’t take anything from Ruby after she had just given her so much. She politely denied claiming that her meager bowl of cereal would hold her over for now.

Without another word Blake went back to her room. She remorsefully stared at the bed, hating that it was her place to retreat, hating that she was stealing more happiness away from Yang, however simple a bed may be. It was hers. Blake didn’t deserve to take it from her, or deserve anything else from her for that matter. Including her love.

She couldn’t bring herself to sit on it or even look at it for much longer, so she sat on the carpeted floor with her back against it and knees huddled up to her chest. Her head was buried deep in her arms, and deeper in her thoughts.

‘ _Do I like Yang?_ ’

She wanted to say yes, but wasn’t sure if that was what Yang wanted. If she didn’t... what would happen? Would she start avoiding her? Not be as fond of her?

‘ _Does Yang like me?_ ’

She wanted to say yes, based on the evidence that Ruby had so confidently tried to reassure her with... but even though Ruby’s scrambled explanation made sense to her ears, her heart still wasn’t making sense of how it felt with Yang. It felt dangerous.

Blake still felt sick, more in her heart and her head than in her stomach. It all hurt though, ached to be free of all this stress she was forcing onto them. She ached for clarity when all she had was confusion. She spent another miserable hour exhausting herself with simulating every angle that their conversation could take, whether it brought her to tears to imagine her feelings, whatever they were, being ignored by Yang or whether it brought a smile to her lips imagining Yang wanting to kiss them again.

Blake knew the answers wouldn’t come to her while she waited, alone and worrying like this, festering in her own thoughts. The only thing she knew would come, if she waited long enough, was Yang. Whether she wanted her or not.

\-----

There was no moon outside Blake’s window, in the inky canvas that was painted deep in the night sky, but she found several stars to keep her company as she waited and thought. She only wished they could guide her.

It was half past eight, and still no sound of the door opening. That was all she was listening for. The entire apartment had seemed silent ever since she and Ruby had had their conversation, and it only served to add to her growing sense of apprehension. She also still hadn’t decided on a strategy. Or on an answer to her previous questions. Without knowing what Yang’s feelings were she had no safe options to move forward with, so still she reluctantly waited.

‘ _What am I doing to myself... it’s come to not being able to know my own feelings without knowing Yang’s..._ ’

The door clicked. It startled Blake out of her thoughts, suddenly igniting a tense fear in her chest. She heard the familiar squeak of it opening, and heard a single foot fall muffled onto the carpet.

But nobody spoke for some time. Blake wasn’t sure if Yang was waiting for her to say something first, or if Yang was just trying to find her own words. Maybe she was waiting for Blake to finally turn her eyes on her again. But they both seemed unable to do any of those.

“Hi, Blake.”

“Hi.”

Yang didn’t say anything else. Neither did Blake. She was frozen in the bed, too frightened to face her. She braced herself for whatever grim news Yang had come to deliver, that she regretted the kiss, regretted taking her in at all, but then remembered everything that Ruby told her.

Ruby was certain that Yang liked Blake. Certain of it, and gave Blake reasons that she could believe as well. But Blake knew love was a fickle thing, especially now that she was experiencing her own troubles with the whirlwind of worries it brought her.

She waited. The eye of the storm seemed as good a place to lie still as any.

“Uh, I’m sorry again. That was uncalled for. I don’t know what I was thinking, and… I just wanted to help Blake. But you already know that.”

Blake still remained silent, unmoving and unresponsive under the blanket, still wavering, still worriedly waiting for her opportunity to express herself to Yang.

“...I just want you to be happy. I can’t make you talk to me if you don’t want to, and I can’t stop you from leaving if you do want to. I can’t make you want to be my friend, or something more than a friend, for that matter.”

Yang’s stare descended to the floor. Regret weighed down her voice, draining it of all its familiar enthusiasm. It hurt Blake’s heart to hear, and it was already so injured, on account of Yang’s action as well as a lack of her own. However, she nervously thought to herself, if she was going to put her feelings into action, now would be the time.

Instead, she clinged to the long silence drifting in the air between them.

“Sorry,” Yang whispered as she left, closing the door behind her.

Blake barely heard the sound of the door shutting, the click of the lock snapping against the frame. She was so dialed in on Yang’s words that she didn’t realize she was leaving until it was too late. And the door was shut.

Visions of the night before came rushing back, filling her thoughts and encroaching upon her feelings. She felt exactly the same as she did then when Yang had left her, frantic and frightened, still wondering what had gone wrong and why, because of who, and realizing in that empty powerless state that everything was still the same.

She was still outside. Still at odds with Yang. Still contradictory in how she felt toward her, and still alone.

Nothing had changed in that conversation, and it made Blake want to scream, shout, kick herself until she ached too much to continue, smash the lamp on the nightstand just to feel the sharp bruises on her hands.

‘ _At least that would actually be doing something. I want to face this... I don’t want to run. Not from Yang. I don’t want to hurt her by running away from her, or her feelings..._ ’

Her thoughts quieted in time. It was relieving to cool off for once, since she had trapped herself in her overheating worries for so long. She still held them in her mind, just at arm’s length for now. Tomorrow would come, after all - there was no stopping that.

But Blake wasn’t as afraid of tomorrow as she was of herself not being able to act. To respond to Yang’s apparent fondness of her, which now appeared very apparent to her, in fact. She didn’t know how she wasn’t aware of it sooner.

‘ _Was I scared to admit that someone actually likes me? And especially Yang, who could have chosen anyone else... but she chose me. Ruby said it sounded like I felt the same way. Sure I chose to stay with Yang, and I thought that was only because she helped me. But... now I can’t imagine not staying with Yang. I wouldn’t want to leave, for anything. She already is everything..._ ’

Blake frowned.

‘ _Wait._ ’

She found herself uneasy.

‘ _There’s nothing else that anyone could give me that Yang already isn’t... including her love. Is that why I want to get this right so badly?_ ’

She remembered talking to Ruby earlier that morning. She had thought it completely unfathomable to be without Yang. There would be nothing left. She was convinced that nobody could show her the same kindness and the same compassion that Yang did, the same warmth that made her feel appreciated, or for that matter, loved. All she wanted was for Yang to keep loving her. And all she wanted was to find the courage to repay the favor and the friendship.

Blake felt warm. She felt unsteady somewhere and everywhere in her body and completely lost her thoughts. She didn’t even remember what she was just thinking about before that. She felt warm in her cheeks, and when she realized that then her ears began to burn that same fire that seemed to be spreading so uncontrollably through her skin.

It warmed her palms. It sent her heart racing and touched her lips with a familiar sensation.

She was facing toward the door but suddenly felt the urge to turn away, lest anyone walk in on her so inexplicably flustered like this.

Inexplicable was the word she was about to leap to, but she continued chasing the answer that inspired this nervous warmth in her.

‘ _Is this what Ruby was talking about? She said it sounded like all I wanted was Yang closer, and I do. And Yang... loves me. Appreciates me. She’s the only thing that I care about now... I do like Yang, don’t I? ...I’m so foolish._ ’

Foolish. That was the only word to describe someone who could have been so blind, and especially when guided by such a strong light. Though, she supposed, that was what blinded her in the first place.

‘ _Love is blind, is the saying.. as is the mind. Mine, at least. I was so blinded by what I was afraid was going to happen when there wasn’t even any risk involved in liking Yang, and now look where I am... sitting all alone, with Yang by herself on the couch._ ’

Blake thought about going to talk to her but again rescinded the idea. She had also thought that with this new revelation that notion would finally appeal to her, but all she felt now was even more pressure to make things right.

‘ _And I will,’_ she assured herself. _’Yang likes me, after all. I can’t let her feelings go to waste, especially considering she didn’t let me go to waste. Especially not when I like her as well._ ’

Blake thought no further on the matter. She was determined to wake up tomorrow the polar opposite of the way she did today - feeling confident and in control. Not panicked. Not afraid. Not worried. More than that though, she didn’t want to end tomorrow the same way she almost did today. Panicked, afraid, worried.

Alone.

Tomorrow would come, after all - there was no stopping that. Blake decided she had waited on her own long enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy this chapter sucks. Just… everything is awful. I especially think I did a bad job with the way I wrote everything about Ruby. And especially that this was too much tell and not enough show, I don’t know, I’m sorry but it’s just ugh
> 
> * ahem *
> 
> Other than my usual complaining, I don’t have much else to say... As of uploading this I’ve watched Chapter 10. I don’t even. He better back off of Blake and Yang better be involved in that. SO MANY THINGS ARE HAPPENING GOSH
> 
> Well... final chapter coming up next. Let’s see if I, and you, will feel better about all of this once it’s finished. I actually have no idea when it’s going to be finished though. It’ll definitely be after Valentine’s, but it should also definitely be in by the end of the month. -No, you know what? I’ll shoot for the end of Volume 3. OH WHICH IS ALSO VALENTINE’S, WHICH IS MY OTHER V-DAY STUFF OH THIS IS GREAT
> 
> Alright, I’m gonna try for two weeks and upload them together. As usual, thanks so much for reading this mess, and as usual do leave any suggestions or thoughts (especially since I don't feel strongly about this chapter), and as usual have an amazing day!
> 
>  **Edit:** Thanks Kuchenjaeger for alerting me to those typos!


	5. Hands on the Sun

The light could burn out just as quickly as it started shining, like a fragile wind that could vanish just as quickly as it had come. Blake had lived by that rule her entire life. Fortune was forever fleeting. She was used to preparing her responses in the event things didn’t turn in her favor. But that all seemed arbitrary now.

Slowly but surely a flame had sprouted in her heart that she wasn’t sure she could ever put out. She never meant for it to happen. She never dreamed it ever could. If someone had told her that in a single year or a single week she would find herself completely engaged in the company of somebody else and bending over herself trying to form a relationship with them, she would have scoffed and called it absurd.

That would never happen. That was what she thought a week ago, at least.

Blake had tried carrying that thought to sleep but she just couldn’t seem to drift away. She had unfortunately woken up in the middle of the night, but sleep eluded her once again. She hadn't been able to rest like she had the past two nights with the way that her newfound love kept scratching at her empty palms and dragging new ideas to her mind. It asked her to go talk to Yang, to hug her, to kiss her, or even just to look at her again with the vague idea that she would seem so much prettier now that Blake had realized just how pretty she was.

But Yang was already asleep by now. That in itself was reason enough for Blake to follow her lead. Besides, going to wake her up to confess her love in the middle of the night by after their last conversation fell so miserably short didn’t seem like the most tactful idea.

As it turned out, accepting the fact that she held such a loving desire for Yang still kept Blake’s mind just as occupied as before. She thought of how she didn’t have to sleep alone in this bed. Maybe then it she would find it more comforting, with Yang sleeping beside her. She could only think about how she’d rather be wrapped in Yang’s arms rather than the sheets of her bed. Instead of her hands tugging that dead blanket over her she dreamed of how they could be entwining in Yang’s.

She hated she had to leave those appealing thoughts as her drowsiness finally, slowly snuck up on her. Not having Yang close by was a bitter fact she didn’t want to acknowledge.

\-----

Blake met the afternoon shine with a groggy stare. Her eyes lazily edged open and when the sun struck them she turned back into the pillow, thinking on how much it stung.

4:42 PM. Her bow lay quietly on the table.

She lay silently in the bed.

She didn’t really care that she had woken up that late in the day. The night before was miserable and unending, interrupted by several brief losses of consciousness. She was grateful to have finally earned a restful respite. And besides, if she was left alone in the bedroom long enough, Yang would have come to check on her eventually... but Blake was ready this time. She hadn’t decided on points to bring up or a direction for the conversation to take, but had decided on her feelings.

According to Ruby, that was all she needed.

Blake was surprised to find that a decent portion of her thoughts didn’t involve Yang. Maybe that was a bad thing. She was thinking about her past and where she was just three days ago. She thought about the outside. What she used to do before being found by Yang.

_‘There it is. Yang intrudes my mind yet again.’_

Another half an hour passed.

And she began peeling the covers off and began sitting herself up, remembering and grasping the reassurance she had felt the night before as she grasped for her bow to place it atop her head.

_‘That’s right. I decided that I do like Yang after all... and she likes me. No worries Blake. There’s only one way up from here. But first, make it to the door.’_

She readied herself to feel the paralyzing danger that came with the cold turn of the doorknob, but to her surprise nothing came over her. No startled breath escaped her lips. She continued to turn and open it almost fearlessly, which she secretly regarded with some feeble pride as silly as that sounded.

She knew why she was able to approach everything that had feared her before with only a new hint of hesitation, however ashaming that was to admit as well. Blake couldn't believe that simply confirming her romantic interest in Yang could really change everything so drastically.

 _‘Could it really?’_ She wondered as she stepped out into the living room.

A golden, glowing light wandered over to her from the couch, stealing her eyes in that direction.

Maybe it couldn’t change everything, she thought in a mild fluster. Blake’s heart seemed to curl up feebly in her chest. A shallowness replaced her confident breaths and she caught herself frozen midstep, wondering if Yang heard her open the door. There was no way she couldn’t have, with that shilly squeak it always rasped when it moved. But Blake still wondered it anyway, wondered if Yang thought she was as pretty as Blake thought her, or as paralyzing.

Yang started to turn. Lavender eyes slid into sight while Blake hastily attempted to resume walking. Feet to the floor. Unclenching hands. Ease the eyes. Eyes on Yang.

_‘And, eyes away from Yang. She’s too pretty. But her’s are on mine, so eyes on Yang.’_

Their soft stares intersected, and it was quiet between them. Blake had stopped moving. Her thoughts seemed muffled and she couldn’t tune in to all the warnings they were sending off, so she only stared. Yang was under a heavy blanket, hair a wild mess of golden flames thanks to how she had slept. And Blake could only wither from how… _cute_ it looked.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had used that word to describe anything. Blake hopefully wondered if Yang hadn’t been able to sleep over her, just like she had been losing sleep herself.

Yang was here, she suddenly remembered. In front of Blake and staring right at her with a tired smile.

 _“Hi,”_ they both started, both ashamedly falling silent to hear the other’s voice. They observed the mild surprise of the other with budding adoration, and wilted watching their smiles grow for one another.

Blake felt the same heat from before fill her cheeks and even her ears but kept her wits about her, for whatever her wits were worth. Conversations were supposed to be had between two people, after all, and her last two definitely didn’t fall into that category. She figured she at least owed Yang a good chat.

“...Good morning Yang.”

Yang was surprised to be greeted so quaintly by Blake. She received her warm greeting with a wonderful confidence but had to wonder what had changed her mood from glum to almost completely genial.

“Oh,” she smiled. “Good morning to you too Blake.”

It warmed her heart to see Blake smile. That was the first time she had seen it since taking her in, and it was just as endearing as she remembered. The slightest curl of her lips could change her entire demeanor and it was more than enough to make Yang’s bend into a smile when she saw it.

It took Blake a minute to discover something to say next. She stood hesitantly by the arm of the couch, hovering next to the open cushion next to Yang. Next to Yang, who was dressed in a yellow tank top and shorts. Simple bedwear, she assumed.

She glanced down at herself. A mild heat circled her body when she remembered that she was wearing one of Yang’s t-shirts, dark purple complementing the dark gray jeans she had stuck with. A typical enough looking outfit for herself, anyway.

She was about to speak up when Yang asked her if she’d like to take that seat she was eyeing instead of standing around.

_‘...Right. Just because she kissed me the last time we were that close doesn’t mean she’s going to do it again... Even if you do want her to.’_

“Yes. Of course I would.”

As she stepped around the arm to sit, another thought shot up into her mind. She wondered whether she would be better off hugging the arm of the couch or hugging Yang’s. Hugging Yang... which led to kissing Yang... which led to no Yang. Blake almost diverted herself to the left but then another thought fought back just as fiercely.

It didn’t have to be that way anymore. She opted for a position closer rather than farther from the woman of wonders beside her, which again surprised Yang.

It came as a surprise to her that Blake had even sat down at all. By no means though was she complaining - it was a good sign. Yang wasn’t sure if Blake had somehow unearthed her feelings, but she didn’t dare hope that the Faunus had suddenly conceived her own feelings for her overnight. 

Their hands were only inches apart, and their lips only a little more. A lean into a kiss could put an end to all this senseless sidestepping. One kiss would lead to more. But neither of them wanted to bring about another awkward admittance of shame that they had parted over. They never wanted to part again, but remained wary of getting any closer.

“So? You feeling any better Blake?”

Just hearing her name spoken by Yang’s mild tones was enough to make her blush. Thankfully, this time all the heat billowed up into her ears instead of her cheeks, the former thankfully being covered by her bow. 

“I am. A lot better, actually…”

“Your bruises are gone!” Yang cheerfully replied. “The ones I can see, at least.”

Blake nodded, inwardly dreaming of the one on her heart healing. She was ready. Waiting. The cure sat only inches away. But the remedy she sought and could almost see didn’t come with instructions on how to take it. Just on the effects it would have. She wondered if Yang realized how bittersweet it was for her to be this close and almost couldn’t continue to bear her not being any closer. In fact, Blake had forgotten all about her other bruises and what had caused them. She had forgotten about that incident on the street entirely. She only remembered the part where Yang had come around.

“Blake... you’re not like, mad at me or anything, are you?”

The question earned a momentary pause from Blake - not because she couldn’t answer it, only because she hated that Yang felt inclined to ask. She hated the concerned browns she raised with her question. She hated that, ultimately, it was her own fault for not embracing Yang even from the moment they had met.

But now wasn’t the time for that, she thought. That was behind her, and right now, Yang was in front.

“Of course not Yang,” she emphatically answered with the most assurance she could muster. “I know you had good intentions," she uttered a little more warily.

“Really?” She smiled and exhaled, suddenly lunging for Blake.

Arms fell around her and she recoiled yet again, but relaxed before she reacted. Yang was hugging her again. That led to Yang kissing her again. Which led to...

Yang looked up at her and suddenly withdrew her arms while raising another concerned stare.

“Oh! Are you, cool with that Blake? Jeez... there I go again. Sorry..."

Blake quickly planted her hand on Yang’s to keep her from backing away.

“No! I mean, yes. I’m okay Yang. I should be the one apologizing... and honestly, you’re the one who deserves a hug.”

Blake waited for her to reply. To say something. Maybe to embrace her again. To thank her. But Yang only stared, and her frowning lips slowly shook back into a smile.

Blake wondered why she hadn’t moved, aside from that curious motion. She began to lift her arms to actually hug Yang, another idea that threatened to paralyze her, but her hand was denying her request to move.

It was still situated in Yang’s, who had curled her fingers around and into her palm.

Blake didn’t know what to say. If any words approached her they melted away before she could even think about uttering them. She was too busy acknowledging and attempting to control her blush and to respond to Yang, who was staring right at her. This time Blake couldn’t even feign disapproval. It showed in her own flushing cheeks and her own shaky smile and her own folding fingers.

They heard sounds coming from their right. If Blake had to guess, it sounded like a blanket being flipped off and flung to the side. Thumps. Feet on the floor. Ruby’s room.

Blake and Yang shared the same reaction. For some reason, fearing anyone else seeing them and the sacred secret of their hands touching, they immediately separated them and Yang turned to face the door. Seconds later Ruby emerged, wiping a tired eye and looking as dead as a zombie.

_‘Guess she also likes to sleep in...'_

“Morning, Yang... oh, and you too Blake..."

The two on the couch returned the greeting and continued watching Ruby. Waiting for Ruby to leave.

She stretched her arms above her head and let out a sharp little yawn, and looked back at the two. Blake was sitting next to Yang on the couch. Very close to her, in fact.

Ruby’s eyes shot open and she squeaked something out before rushing back into her room and slamming the door shut.

For some reason that little action made Blake very happy. It reminded her that she was actually succeeding, because Ruby didn’t want to interrupt. Progress was being made. She had just hugged and held hands with Yang, however brief their embraces may have been. Feelings were flowing, and thankfully so was confidence.

“Huh. Wonder what got into her,” Yang quietly said while she turned around to Blake again.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Guess I should go ask, since I am her sister after all..."

Yang half-heartedly mumbled that as she uncrossed her legs and walked over to Ruby’s room, knocking on the door and entering when she gave the word of approval.

Blake willed her eyes away from the door. Her mind was racing now just as quickly if not quicker than her heart, and she wasn’t sure if that was because Yang left or the fact that Yang and her were actually moving forward. Together. She was certain now that Yang didn’t need any other evidence of Blake’s feelings. Now it was only a matter of admitting them...

**_“If you like her... well, tell her.”_ **

Ruby’s words ushered her on, but it couldn’t be that simple... it’s never that simple. Not in the books, the movies, the stories. And as far as Blake could tell, not in real life. But if their feelings were already known, then what else was the best route to bring them to light?

It was only a minute before Yang emerged again, and held up an index finger to Blake as she shuffled next door into her room. Blake waited once again and soon Yang came out in a yellow-orange hoodie whose sleeves striped gray above the elbows. She stepped around in her own jeans and leaned down to Blake on the couch.

“Hey, Blake? Do you wanna go somewhere else?”

“I, suppose so? I don’t know where ‘somewhere else’ is, but I assume you have someplace in mind.”

“That I do!” She exclaimed as she vaulted over the couch, a little closer to Blake than she sat last time. “But are you, you know, cool with that?”

She absently scratched her cheek while she waited for a response, and soon transitioned to holding her hand on the back of her neck. Yang being nervous also struck some confidence into Blake and she nodded, hoping to share some of it with Yang.

“Yang, I’m okay. Really. I may not be as open as you, but I am open to anything you want to do.”

Yang quickly glanced up at her, wide eyes conveying her surprise yet again, and then she looked away and stood up. She offered her hand to Blake, this time opting to look straight at her, however hard it was not to grin like a loon.

She found herself doing it anyway. Blake was too pretty not to smile.

Blake had just applied that same thought to Yang as she graciously accepted her hand and stood up, following her to the door. The blonde scooped a yellow helmet up from the table next to the door and turned to grin at Blake, dangling the keys to her bike from her hand.

“So, I finally get to see your bike in action.”

“And a first-hand experience, no less.”

Blake smiled as she followed her out of her apartment and into the sunset walkway on the third floor. Yang shut and locked the door and resumed her lead, never letting go of Blake’s hand as they descended the stairwell down to the ground level. Never letting go, just like she hadn’t on the way up the first time Blake arrived here. It felt like only yesterday that she had been swept up and off her feet by Yang.

The sun floated through the dark bars of the stairwell railings, throwing swaying shadows over them as they steadily walked down the two flights of stairs. Blake could only watch the strokes of shade fall over and over and over Yang, every step they went, gushing over how gorgeous she was. How important she was. And how in love Blake was herself... just looking at Yang seemed to cause her heart to tremble.

“You know, it’s rude to stare Blakey.”

Blake was staggered out of her thoughts by Yang’s cunning voice, but was then shocked by what she had called her. Blakey. A nice little name, that was totally unique to them. Needless to say, she loved it.

“Well, can you blame me?”

“No, I guess I can’t - with looks like mine, who could resist?”

“It’s definitely been a challenge..."

Yang smiled along with Blake but it staggered into a perplexed frown. She started walking down again before Blake saw it. Hearing her admit that was a bit jolting, though nevertheless comforting to know. It was so comforting to know that Blake felt like that. She was so much more open with her today, and confident, and so quietly suggestive of another feeling she seemed to be harboring. 

Maybe this could be it. She rounded another bend on the stairway. Maybe, somehow and for some reason, Blake had begun feeling for her. Maybe she finally saw her as more than a friend that had just happened by and done her a kindness. That was how Yang hoped Blake saw her, at least, as more than a friend. She had tried to show her that, but... it left the wrong taste on her tongue. Maybe Blake finally understood how dearly much Yang wanted to help her.

Why else would she have accepted the hug, or her hand, or complimented her looks with the subtle blush? Why else would she so suddenly be engaging in normal conversation with her as if no trouble had brewed between them?

Maybe this could be it after all. She reached the ground floor, and led Blake down behind her. Her bike stood at the end of the lot five spaces from the stairs. As she approached it she turned and grinned to Blake, then gestured with a flashy pair of jazz hands to present their ride to her.

Well, it definitely looked expensive. Sleek and sharp, and she could only assume speedy, in all its yellow and black and burned orange splendor. For the two of them to be riding on it hit a little too close to home, Blake gaily thought.

“Ta-da! I present the Bumblebee!”

“Did you just come up with that name?” She asked with a daring smirk.

Yang returned one of her own as she pulled Blake over. “I might have. Why? Do you not approve of it?”

“No. I love it.”

Blake almost said ‘I love you.’ The words were already beginning to spill out of her mind but thankfully her mouth wasn’t up to speed on the brain. She wondered if she should. There was still time. Yang hadn’t said anything yet. She had a chance, another risky gamble, but she didn’t want to just let it slip like all the others.

Yang gently squeezed her hand. She was smiling.

_‘Maybe words aren’t always necessary... we’re already holding hands after all. I’m not sure there is much more to say than that.’_

Yang threw a leg over the bike and invited Blake on the back. She climbed on behind her and notified Yang that she was secure, and after a moment’s hesitation wrapped she her arms around her driver’s waist. Finding a tense breath she began to lean into Yang and waited for her to start driving. This was how you were supposed to do it, right? Hug your date from the back of the bike while they drive? Right?

Instead of hunkering down to take off, Yang turned around in her seat to face Blake, but with her arms still around her she was yanked close to face Yang. Yang was close. Still so close. Face to face, in fact. The sun shone from behind her, golden rays surfing over the edges of her hair. Blake wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anything more stunning. Or anyone so stunning.

She was so close. Blake was tempted to steal a kiss for herself, but the gleeful thought was immediately cast away when Yang’s lips started moving. Blake immediately scurried back with a mild heat rushing to her face, but almost regretted backing away when she noticed Yang’s stare dampen a bit.

“Blake? Can you do me a quick favor and close your eyes?”

“Uh, sure Yang.”

Blake did as instructed and waited. What for, she had no clue as usual. And as usual she placed her bets on another kiss, this time dearly hoping it happened, but nothing had happened quite yet. Something brushed the furry ears atop her head. A delicate fabric tugged against them.

“Yang-”

“It’s alright Blake,” she calmly said as she lowered her protesting hands. “We don’t want it blowing it away in the wind after all, right? I’d hate for you to lose another bow.”

Blake was entirely smitten with Yang’s disarming smile. She felt her own smile growing up her cheeks when Yang quickly glanced up then looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.

“...And besides, you know that I think your ears look cute. You look better without the bow.”

Yang had her hand clutching her neck again, shakily staring away from Blake.

Suddenly she flipped herself around on the bike without waiting for her reaction and slipped the in her jacket pocket. Blake hastily wrapped her arms around Yang’s waist, taking a quick note of that little habit of hers with her hand on her neck.

Yang was just as nervous as she was. It was surprising to say the least, when she constantly exuded such daring and confidence.

The blonde waves turned in front of Blake, and she found Yang smiling at her.

“For the record, I did just come up with the name. And, for the record, I also like it when you're feisty.”

If Yang didn’t already have her hands gripping the handles, Blake was confident one of them would have been scratching the back of her neck.

“Did I mention that I love ‘Blakey’ too?”

 _‘Did I mention that I love you?’_ Blake brightly thought. She was pleased to find Yang staring at her with a flustered grin and brighter cheeks, but the blonde quickly whirled around to rev up the Bumblebee.

“Strap in Blake! It’s not far, and I won’t go _too_ fast, so just relax. Alright?”

“Alright. Ready when you are.”

Blake leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Yang’s waist again. Yang sent one glance back her way and then they were moving. Veering left and turning right, out of the lot and pouring onto the streets.

It was all familiar territory. Blake regarded it with a heavy stare, all the streetways and the slums and the shadows. Loneliness existed in every dark turn and uncertainty waited around every corner. It was a cutthroat kind of living. And yet, as often as she was trying watch what Yang was saving her from, the bigger buildings were stealing her eye. Suddenly Vale seemed like a different Vale than Blake had known, a plentiful city where peaceful people lived. Though she knew this wasn’t true. Yang, however, was beginning to convince her that there were at least two kind-hearted people in the world.

For some reason Blake expected this to be much more, well... exhilarating, seeing as how it was her first time on a motorcycle. But in all honesty, the most accurate word was breathtaking. It felt almost like a dream. Speeding through the blurs of browns and blacks of the buildings and the shadows they cast. The only noise that rode with them to lullaby her away was the purr of the motor and whooshing hums of the wind. Blake turned her head up, and felt her heart seeming to flutter away in her chest. The setting sun’s warm orange glow melded silently and peacefully in the sky. Wherever she dreamily gazed pink patches faded into quiet oranges and back to bright yellows that seemed to glow wherever they wandered. It honestly felt as if she were seeing the world again for the very first time.

Even in awe of the beautiful scenery around her, Blake couldn’t ignore the brightest, most homely light that sat just in front of her.

Blake wrapped her arms tighter around her waist and leaned against her, nestling her head in the resplendent gold curls against her back. She thought she could hear Yang chuckle in front of her but she couldn’t be sure. Blake just tried to ease into her while she carried her away to this place, wherever it was. It quickly became apparent that it wasn’t in the city now that Yang had taken a long road where the buildings slowly dwindled down to houses and the houses dwindled down to signs. Then to grass. For a far distance on either side of the road stretched a far range of grass.

She peered past Yang’s shoulder and wondered at the tiny gray bridge erected up in front of them. Two tiny gray spires and simple concrete railings connected them to two identical stubby towers on the other side. Looking back on the side Blake saw the wide, winding river running under it where the grass slowly lunged downward to.

_‘Strange to find one so far out here...'_

She jerked back a bit when they suddenly started decelerating. Yang had eased off the pedal and they slowly cruised toward the bridge, rolling to a humble stop just before it. Yang planted a foot on the ground, removed her helmet, and hopped off, tearing free of Blake’s grip in the process.

She got off as well and stood next to her.

“So, this is it? It’s a fine bridge, but why exactly did you take me here?”

“It’s not for the bridge, silly. Down here. To the river. C’mon!”

Yang had already picked up her pace as she excitedly ran down to the base of the hill. She didn’t get very far with her head start since she had to lug the Bumblebee along with her and soon Blake was wandering down there next to her.

Blake had to wonder what was so special about this place. Sure, it offered a beautiful view of the sunset, sparkling along the stream, but that was just about it.

“Yang, does this place hold some kind of significance to you?”

Yang smiled and waved her over, and sat cross-legged on the ground.

“Yeah. It does. I used to take Ruby down here all the time when we were kids. We’d run around and play, and when she was upset we’d talk here and she always went back home feeling better. Since she’s grown up, or is growing up, she doesn’t ask me to take her down here as often, but she still does every now and then. Sometimes though I just come down here by myself because I like the view,” she added with a dreamy grin. “Guess I just wanted to show you. And, this time we can talk and not be interrupted.”

“Talk about what, exactly?”

“You know, about, us.”

Blake honestly was not sure at all why she dodged her statement. There was no point in pretending anymore. Yang was here. It was them. Just the two of them, alone, together.

“I... don’t know where to begin. No, I suppose an apology would be a good start.”

“Why are you apologizing Blake? You didn’t do anything wrong. It should be me-”

“No, it shouldn’t. I have done wrong. I did you wrong, Yang, as well as myself. I tried to avoid you. I came up with all these delusions and excuses to keep you from getting too close... I just didn’t want you to get hurt because of me. And I know, you think that’s worth it if you can help me. But I was lying to myself and to you when I was just scared.”

Blake sighed. She felt guilt. And regret, and more than anything shame. As she exposed herself to Yang though she wasn’t sure where the words were coming from. They sort of welled up and spilled out, but she did feel sure that Yang understood her better this way. Yang seemed to be fluent in the language of the heart.

“I know you want to protect me and to make me happy, but I didn’t know why. What did I ever do to make you feel that way? You didn’t owe me anything, you didn’t know me... so I lied, and I ran from everything I was feeling. I was too scared to let you in. And I realize now that my attempts to run from you only hurt you in the end. So I’m sorry I ran away from you Yang. That’s why I’m apologizing.”

Yang had stared eye-to-eye with her the entire time, absorbing every word she spoke. This was the chance to understand her. This was what Yang had waited so long for, to get an idea of where Blake was coming from and what she felt and how she thought about everything.

Blake turned her stare toward the water. It was relieving to finally rid herself of the burden of her thoughts, but like the water, her confidence remained shaking and stirring the more she tried to maintain it. She was just hoping that Yang understood her and her reasons and her complicated feelings.

She looked back at Yang. She was staring at the water too.

“I understand Blake. Really, I do. I can imagine what that must feel like... but that’s why I want to apologize too, because I know I didn’t help with that. You were crying and upset with yourself, so I just wanted to show you that you were important to me. Kissing you wasn’t the right way to do it, I’ll admit, so I’m sorry. I honestly started fearing that you started hating me or didn’t want to talk to me after that... so I’m glad that we are now.”

“I could never hate you Yang... not after you’ve done so much for me. And you’re also important to me. More than I could ever say or explain, so... hopefully my actions can speak for me, if I haven’t already said too much.”

Yang’s hand shook with warmth. Tingled as fingers touched her own.

“I could never hate you Yang.”

The sincerity in her tone was stunning.

“And I could never hate you Blake.”

Blake trembled at the thrill of Yang’s palm turning to meet her own, fingers locking. Yang took a breath and added, “In fact-”

“I love you?”

Blake was staring at Yang. Smiling and silent. Tearing up.

“Yes. From the moment I met you. Even if I didn’t realize it at the time. You basically became my world, since I didn't really have one before...”

Blake was shyly looking down while their hands happily buckled down. Suddenly though she was shoulder to shoulder as well, looking up to find Yang moving closer to her on the grass. Golden rays surfing over her. She chuckled.

“Believe it or not, you kinda became my world too. I’m always busy nowadays with taking care of Ruby and a job that allows me to take care of Ruby. I don’t really have any time for anyone else. I don’t really mind, but it sure did get lonely after a while. And then, you came along. Or, I came along and found you. Either way, we found each other!”

Blake was touched. Yang’s profession impressed so deeply on her that she could only feel humbled by her significance to her.

“I’m happy that I mean so much to you Yang,” she murmured. “I really thought I was just an acquaintance, someone you just happened to help until she could get out of your hair. Just... nobody special.”

“You are special Blake. Whether you believe it or not, I believe it. I’m happy just to have you here. And I think I can prove it to you if you’ll let me.”

Blake turned to look at Yang. A rosy blush lit up her cheeks, kindled golden by the sun across the bank of the river. She raised her brows to ask again and gave another squeeze to their hands.

It was only a moment, but one full of hesitation. And hesitation always led to two choices: head or heart. Run, or remain.

For once, Blake listened to her hammering heart.

She nodded and closed her eyes and waited. For the hug, the hand on her cheek, the kiss, the ‘I love you,’ or for whatever would come.

Her lips touched and were taken by Yang’s. Her cheek was touched and kindled by Yang’s other hand. She finally caught a breath and could react and kissed her back, resisting the tingling in her jaw to curl her lips forward for her, but just like that it vanished as quickly as it had come.

Blake opened her eyes, surely she thought with a blush that must have been burning hotter than the sun around them.

Well, maybe not brighter than Yang’s. She was grinning like an idiot, hand hugging her elbow instead of her neck.

“W-Why are you laughing Blake?”

“It’s nothing,” she said as she leaned into Yang’s shoulder. She couldn’t resist. It was amusing to discover just how nervous the daring and dauntless Yang could be.

“Thank you Yang. I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you. Or myself, for that matter.”

“No more apologies Blake. I believe in us. And I wouldn’t stare directly at it, but I’d say our future’s right in front of us.”

Blake tossed a glance that way over the river. “A burning ball of gas several hundred thousands of miles huge out in the middle of space?”

“When you put it that way... Well, if you ask me, our future’s looking pretty bright, eh?”

Blake’s smile turned into a sort of skeptical grin when she saw Yang’s.

“You know, I never forgot that you were the ‘local pun master.’”

“Here to serve,” she happily replied.

And they quieted down after that. There wasn’t much else to say, as far as either of them were concerned at least. Their actions spoke for them.

The sun was still hanging in the sky, gleaming glittering sparks on the water and turning the field of grass around them yellow. Tiny shadows poked out from under them all.

“I’m touched that you decided to show me this place Yang.”

The more she soaked in the splendid sunlight and scenery the more deeply it struck her. It was just a simple riverbank. Anybody could stumble down here and find an unremarkable bridge and an uncrossable stream, but somehow Yang had shown her a luminescent landscape.

_‘Yang could have chosen anyone else in the world, and she chose me... of all people. And there are so many people in Vale, I don’t understand how nobody could have caught her eye…’_

And at that moment, Blake considered something she had never wondered about before.

Fate. Was it fate that no one else was out on the street to help her that day? That Yang was the one out on the street? That she had gone out to get groceries at the time that she did instead of an hour before?

However, sitting with Yang...

Blake’s thoughts moved to wonder about a more apparent truth. That she wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. If Yang hadn't gotten groceries that day. If she hadn't walked, instead of taking the Bumblebee.

"Yang... Why didn't you take the Bumblebee when you went out that night?"

She blankly stared at her for a moment and then lightly shrugged.

"I dunno. It feels nice to walk every once in awhile."

Blake smiled at the simple statement.

She quietly agreed. "Yes, and especially when you've always been running..."

Yang curled her fingers tighter in Blake's hand and delivered a heartwarming kiss, bringing another blush to her cheeks as bright as the sky drawing down around them. At least, that was how hot her face felt when she prayed that Yang couldn’t see just how quickly she was melting.

“You know Blakey, you look really cute with a blush too.”

Yang smiled as she whimpered something out and turned away, and the blonde soon started giggling.

“Oh, and here’s your bow back Blake."

She presented it to her from her pocket, undone and somehow unwrinkled.

Blake didn’t accept it. After a moment of silently regarding it, she placed her hand on Yang’s and pushed it back to her.

“You can hold on to it for now. I don’t think I’ll be needing it for a while.”

Yang’s eyes lit up. As far as she knew this bow was Blake’s most treasured possession. Trusting her with it was a fantastic honor that she couldn’t turn down, but...

“No,” she said as she pushed it back into Blake’s hands. “I bought this one for you, remember? I’m honored that you want me to hold onto it, but I want you to have it.”

“And I’m happy that you did buy it for me after I lost the other, but I want you to keep it for me Yang. As much as it reminds me of you it always makes me think of everything that I’ve run from over the years... and I did run from you at one point.”

Yang pouted a frown at her, and with a ‘hmph’ she took it and tied the black bow around her arm. “Well it's a good thing you don't have to run anymore. Maybe we can go for a walk tomorrow, if you want."

Blake wistfully sighed and graciously returned her kiss from before. This was the first time that she was initiating a kiss so she moved slowly and carefully, and let it last as long as all Yang’s others combined. That only seemed fair.

She leaned her head on her shoulder, dreaming about walking back here tomorrow, and happily said, "I'd love that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: forgot to mention, all chapters after the first got a lot of inspiration from songs off Skyhill’s album _Run With The Hunted_.
> 
> I dearly hope more than anything that I got the pacing right in this one. Did I do a good job of having Blake and Yang ease into the relationship that was gradually forming as they talked? Did the comments and behavior scale up well as the chapter went on? If I didn’t accomplish that then I failed here.
> 
> So, my mushy ending talk... Kintsugi started as a one-shot for practice but I was convinced to keep it going, and I was worried as to how I was going to pull it off but I like how it ended. Once I settled on storyline, I found it became extremely personal to me that I finish it, in honor of a someone. I was emotionally in the place of Blake once. This was all largely based on firsthand experience. I didn’t even realize what I was doing until I was halfway through. I could have done so much more with this fic, more drama/feels/more anything, but I wanted to keep it simple and true to this reason. Kintsugi had a different ending, however. So my point is that I’m quite fond of this experimental escapade, and I hope you are too, and I’m happy you decided to join me along the way. I know it was nothing spectacular, but I got a nice taste of, well, not one-shotting.
> 
> Kintsugi complete! I’m sorry that I took so long to getting around to it. I apologize for it being so short, but I hope you enjoyed it! Also, a strong salute to the CReWBY for the FANTASTIC Volume Three and its conclusion today! Obviously now that Vol. 3 and Kintsugi are finished I can relax my mind and focus on fluffier stuff. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day all you wonderful people who read this. Or, if you’re like me today, just have a wonderful day everyone. Now, let’s never talk about this fic again.


End file.
